Breck Epic
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Race Name: Breck Epic
Location: Breckenridge, CO.
The Town of Breckenridge is located 9,603 feet above sea level in a U-shaped valley on the western slope of the Continental Divide. It is surrounded by 2,000 miles of singletrack mountain bike trails.
Dates: July 5-10, 2010
How it started:
“The Epic is the cornerstone event of our parent organization, The Greenspeed Project (501(c)3 status pending). Established to underwrite often underfunded open space initiatives, The Greenspeed Project uses the medium of ‘distinctive backcountry events’ to raise both awareness and hard dollars in the service of that goal.”
Race overview:
Six stages.
Roughly 240 total miles. Nearly 37,000 feet of climbing. Course set up so that the top pros finish each day in 3.5 to 4.5 hours each day.
Cloverleaf model to the race, each stage is like a leaf on the clover. Each day starts and ends in Breckenridge.
Conditions:
Weather:
?
Terrain:
Definitely mountainous.
Mostly singletrack. It’s a rugged race. Very little paved road. Very little dirt or gravel road either.
Elevation:
high altitude. Breck is at altitude so be ready (most of the racing is at over 10,000 feet above sea level.)
Rules, Categories, Pricing, Etc:
Rules
Basic rules:
#1: Being a dick is not allowed.
#2: No littering. (Or you’ll get disqualified.)
#3: Towing is not allowed. You can draft your team mate or push with a hand on the back, but no literal towing someone with ropes.
#4: You must check in at all checkpoints and stage finishes within 2 minutes of your teammate (when applicable).
#5 Time cuts. There are time cuts, but they’re generous and the promoters want you to stay in the race. If you miss a time cut, you’re out of the race, but allowed to ride the remaining stages for fun.
Categories
Categories: Open Men Duo (teams of 2 men of all ages and abilities)
Open Women Duo (teams of 2 women of all ages and abilities)
Open Mixed Duo (Mixed gender teams of all ages and abilities)
Duo 80+ (Combined rider age of 80 or more. Can be men, women or mixed)
Duo 100+ (Combined rider age of 100 or more. Can be men, women or mixed)
Singlespeed Duo (A team of 2 singlespeeders. Can be men, women or mixed)
Solo Men Open (Men of all ages and abilities. Generally considered an elite category.)
Solo Women Open (Women of all ages and abilities. Generally considered an elite category.)
Solo Singlespeed Open (Singlespeeders of all ages, genders & abilities.)
Solo Men 40+ (Men whose racing age is 40 years or greater.)
Solo Men 50+ (Men whose racing age is 50 years or greater.)
Clydesdale Solo (Hard-asses 200# and above.)
Team Relay (Open to teams of 3-6 members. One person on course each day.)
Pricing
Entrance fees: Solo Entrant: $995, Team Entry: $1990
Camping and meal plans are extra.
Food and Lodging:
Lodging
Lots of lodging options. Camping in tents, take an RV, stay in a hotel or luxury resort.
Cool thing with lodging is there is one central campground. Since there are so many trails in the area, they can start and end at the same place each day.
For accommodations, check with Great Western Lodging, the official race partner. (Owned and operated by cyclists!) They’ve got properties throughout the community from studios to 6-bedroom units and are offering substantial discounts to event participants. Rates begin at $40/night/person (double occupancy/1 BDR condo).
Bike shops nearby and on-site support, Massage available, Suber shuttle (where they actually shuttle you around town in cars provided by Subaru.)
Food
Breakfast and dinner each day. Daily menu posted online. Looks like a good variety of good food.
Aid stations
More info
Race Website: www.BreckEpic.com
